This invention relates in general to object dislodging apparata and in particular to apparata suitable for performing a modified type of Heimlich Maneuver.
Every year thousands of persons die due to choking on objects such as a bolus of food which has become lodged in their throats. For many years there was almost no solution to such occurrences which were often confused with a heart attack and by the time medical personnel arrived, it was too late to save the victim.
Recently, Dr. Henry J. Heimlich described a maneuver in the June, 1974 issue of Emergency Medicine in an article entitled "Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary." The Heimlich Maneuver, as it is referred to, causes a sudden, forceful compression of the lungs which results in an increase to the air pressure within the trachea and ejects the offending object which is stuck in the throat. In order to perform the maneuver, the person who is aiding the victim must stand behind the victim, making a fist with one hand and grabbing the fist with the other hand. With the fist placed above the navel and below the rib cage, the fist is pressed into the victim's upper abdomen with a quick, upward thrust which may be repeated several times, if necessary, in order to free the stuck object.
Of course, one requirement to a successful performance of the Heimlich Maneuver is that there be a person in the vicinity of the victim who is physically able to perform the required steps. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of the choking deaths occur in the privacy of one's home where the victim either lives alone or is alone at the time the object becomes stuck in the throat. It is suggested that even for persons who are alone, a modified type of Heimlich Maneuver can be used by the victim by pressing his own abdomen into the corner of the table or sink or by using his own fist to force air from the lungs. However, these types of modifications are likely not as effective as the actual Heimlich Maneuver because the victim does not have the same type of leverage with his own fist as a person standing behind the victim has. Furthermore, a suitably shaped and properly elevated table or sink corner may not always be available and if available, this solo maneuver requires a greater degree of physical exertion in order to propel the entire body into the corner so that sufficient thrust is created to dislodge the object which is stuck.
There are other devices which have been used to assist victims of such problems as food strangulation. One such device is a "ChokeSaver" offered by DYNA-MED of Leucadia, Calif. The "ChokeSaver" is a large plastic tweezer designed to slip down the victim's throat and grasp the blocking food. The steps required for proper use of the "ChokeSaver" require the assistance of someone other than the victim and thus such a device is not suitable for persons living alone or for persons who happen to be alone at the time the choking occurs.
There are also medical procedures for establishing an emergency breathing path for patients experiencing upper respiratory obstructions. A variety of tracheotomy or cricothyrotomy tubes have been used for insertion into the victim's windpipe beneath the area of obstruction. In addition to the fact that these types of procedures require someome other than the victim to perform the various steps, the surgical nature of the procedure suggests that some type of medical personnel should be present in order to either perform or direct the performance of the various steps.
There are still further devices and apparata for use with the body such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,579, issued Jan. 7, 1975 to Ching and U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,163 issued Jan. 11, 1977 to Jackson, Jr. These two devices, although possibly usable for a variety of functions, are particularly designed and constructed to be used as massaging and exercising apparata for the human body.